Problem: Palestine, Texas, home to over 18,000 residents and processing 25 mgd of wastewater, faced persistent clogging in its sewer system due to improperly flushed items, including wipes, plastics, clothing, rags and trash bags. These materials aggregated into dense “rag balls” that frequently obstructed pumps, leading to frequent and costly equipment downtime. Manual cleaning of three return-activated sludge pumps required 21 weekly interventions, totaling $3,000 in maintenance expenses each week. This process was not only time-consuming, but also posed safety risks to maintenance personnel.Solution: After years of research, the city installed three DERAGGER systems from Industrial Flow Solutions, one for each
